- The Hyundai Santa Fe is the World’s Best Car for 2025 in the Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year awards
- The awards are determined by 82 women auto writers worldwide, including three in Canada
- The Santa Fe took the title over five other finalists
The Hyundai Santa Fe has been named the 2025 World’s Best Car in the Women’s Worldwide Car of the Year (WWCOTY) awards. The Santa Fe was chosen from six finalists, each of them winners in their categories. The awards, now in their 15th year, are voted on by 82 women auto writers from 55 countries across five continents (disclosure: this author is one of three jurors from Canada).
To be eligible, a vehicle must be all-new or significantly updated, and launched in at least two continents or 40 countries between January and December 2024. Rather than just choosing a “women’s car,” the judges consider all aspects of the vehicle, including its performance, driving and handling, features, safety, value, styling, and practicality.
The Santa Fe was one of 81 vehicles eligible for voting, and first won its category of Large SUV. The other category winners, which were also eligible for the top trophy won by the Santa Fe, are as follows:
- Urban Car:Mini Cooper
- Compact SUV:Kia EV3
- Large Car:Audi A6 e-tron
- 4×4:Toyota Land Cruiser
- Performance Car:Porsche Panamera
“Choosing the World’s Best Car is a task of great responsibility,” said Marta Garcia, executive president of WWCOTY. “It must take into account the particularities of each market, the type of driving done, purchasing power, orography, consumer preferences… The winning car has to meet all these needs, satisfying drivers around the world.” She added that while the awards recognize the vehicles, “…our goal is also to give visibility to women in the automotive world.”
In many previous years, the award’s global aspect meant that several of the winners weren’t sold in Canada. This year, all of the category winners are or will be available here. Last year’s overall winner was the Kia EV9.
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